swine scare, job shortage, credit card debts, mortgage, and everything on their worry plate

Let's start with swine.

History indicates that flu pandemics tend to occur once every 20 years or so. Experts say that this generation is due for one. Whether this ongoing swine flu scare is what they would like to call as "the one," it's too early to tell.

A pandemic is described as the following: a new virus to which everybody is susceptible; a virus that has the ability to readily spread from person to person; and one that has the capability of causing significant disease in humans. You probably have a visual knowledge of how a pandemic works (think Dawn of the Dead, Quarantine, or I am Legend). Scary, huh, but it could also be that these kinds of things are nature's way of saying, "hey, I'm filthy, gimme a freakin' bath!" And until we give it the attention it deserves, we are doomed to put up with its wrathful coping mechanisms in the next hundred years.

Now I'm not sure if swine has already reached pandemic heights, but a lot of people are saying that it may reach that point if we are not vigilant. In Mexico, more than 1,000 people have already fallen ill in a short period of time; about 68 of which already died. Outside the Mexican borders are hundreds of sporadic swine flu cases. More cases were reported in neighboring countries such as the United States and Canada. Already, eight people within the US territory matches the virus that killed 68 in Mexico. I can go on with a litany of new cases, but the problem, unfortunately, doesn't stop here.

In the event of a pandemic, the virus is not the only thing that kills. Most of the time, it's the fear of getting infected--and the panic that goes with it--that's slowly eating up and draining out the humanity in humans.

The shutdown of public life cost Mexico $2.2 billion in the first 10 days after the epidemic was announced. But instead of providing aid and medical expertise to combat the virus, some wealthy countries shuddered at thought of keeping their arms and borders open to traveling Mexicans. China, Cuba, Ecuador, Argentina, and Peru already got on Mexico's bad side for banning flights to Mexico. France is also urging other European countries to declare a union-wide ban. Haiti even rejected a Mexican ship last week carrying 77 tons of much-needed food aid because of swine flu fears.

On a more relevant note, Manny Pacquiao was asked whether he would rather stay a bit longer in the US or allow himself to be quarantined for a few days as soon as he lands in the Philippines. Of course this is just a precautionary measure, and I'm sure the RP government didn't intend to alienate its age-old ally, but i think the way they handled this one was a little bit too much. Ever since the swine flu news broke out, I haven't seen anyone here wear a mask or lock themselves in their rooms in fear of infection. For the first time in months the sun is out, and so is everyone. That alone is a clear indication that hardly anyone here is worried.

I'm sure Americans would love to worry about swine flu, but right now, they just don't have enough time and energy for that anymore. There's too much on their worry plate: settling for internships instead of permanent jobs, refinancing their mortgage, finding a baby sitter while they juggle part-time jobs, getting a DUI on the way home from a party, getting themselves educated and prepared when the economy turns (which is, they say, in a year's time), and so on.

Now on a personal note, as a Philippine tourism advocate, how many times have I been asked whether it's safe to travel to the Philippines despite the kidnapping incident that dates back to a decade ago? Almost all my speaking engagements end up in conversations about the sporadic cases of terrorism in the southernmost side of the country. Hey guys, don't you read newspapers? Really, there's nothing that can happen to you in the Philippines that can't happen to you anywhere else in the world.

The thing is we say that we are all for a global village, for a laissez faire, for a give-and-take system that's free from regulations and cultural, political, and social interference. We say we're for a borderless state where everyone is a citizen of the world. But how come when things like this crop up, the people calling for unity are the very same ones who are quick to turn their backs and wash their hands? What kind of neighborhood are we trying to build here?

Yeah, yeah we're trying to be safety conscious here and all, but if at the slightest hint of difficulty or misunderstanding we tend to forget our diplomacies and courtesies, then let's not make friends with anyone anymore. Let's not waste time settling differences among races and nations and pretending that despite our physical, historical, and cultural polarities, we are in fact the same. Let's do away with lip services during UN summits. Let's do away with monumental aspirations to be one in spirit. Let's forget that we are all people, and move on with leading different, separate lives.